An English teacher from southwestern Sydney allegedly groomed a teenage girl for years before he was arrested by police on Thursday.
Nathaniel Ballesta, 35, was arrested after police were told on Tuesday that an online account operated by the John Edmondson High School staff member had been flagged as containing child abuse material.
About 6am on Thursday morning, detectives raided a home in Bardia, taking electronic devices including at least two personal computers.
During the search, police say they “uncovered online communication between the man and a teenage girl spanning from 2021 to 2025”.
He was arrested and charged with three counts of possessing child abuse material, two counts of using a carriage service to engage in sexual activity with someone younger than 16 years old, three counts of causing a child to produce child abuse material and using a carriage service to engage in sexual activity with a child.
Mr Ballesta is named in the John Edmondson High School 2026 handbook as the assistant year adviser for the school’s year 10 cohort.
He was refused bail to appear in Campbelltown Local Court on Friday.
